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Man charged with making threats to harm Somalis

A New Hope man faces felony charges of making terroristic threats to hurt Somalis attending a cultural event at St. Cloud State University.

James Scott Miller, 49, posted his threat on Craigslist. St. Paul police sergeant Martin Sayre said a Cold Spring resident was alarmed by the posting and alerted the university and police about the threat.

"My understanding, based on the investigation and the criminal complaint, is that the post read, 'I'll bring my rifle. I'll gladly pay $10 for target practice,'" Sayre said. "So the admission price for this event was apparently $10 a person. That caused alarm to the person reading the comment. My understanding is that Craigslist removed it fairly quickly."

Investigators identified Miller with Craigslist's cooperation and Sayre said Miller admitted to investigators he posted the threat.

Sayre said that Miller told investigators that he made the post because he lives in an apartment building with a large Somali population and that he's mad at them because "they have no respect for anyone else in this building."

Miller's bail is set at $50,000 without conditions, or $5,000 with several conditions, including staying away from St. Cloud State University, and not possessing any firearms.